"That was amazing," gushed Cpt. Levi Edwards, a cadet at Benedictine Military Academy.

"He thought I was a senior," added Cpl. Chase Lyndale.

The high school freshmen, all members of their school's color guard, appeared star-struck.

And slightly slack-jawed.

"That was awesome," Edwards repeated.

"We've seen a lot of generals," added Staff Sgt. Nicholas Jowers, also a freshman on the color guard squad. "But we don't generally get to speak to them."

Moments earlier, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips, the 3rd Infantry Division's deputy commanding general-rear, took a moment to greet the students, shaking their hands and asking them what their future plans were.

"Trust me when I say, for the rest of your life, you will be proud of the fact you went to Benedictine," Phillips said. "I serve in the same Army your spirit represents."